


Summer Crushes

by StarryWriter357



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Crushes, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Other, Romance, Secret Crush, Shipping, Slice of Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23938387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryWriter357/pseuds/StarryWriter357
Summary: Of all the things to do on a free day at Camp Campbell, Max did not expect one of them to be having a conversation about possible camp romances (and with Neil and Gwen nonetheless). Embarrassment, denial, and shipping chaos ensues.
Relationships: David & Gwen (Camp Camp), David/Gwen (Camp Camp), Erin & Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp), Erin/Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp), Gwen & Max (Camp Camp), Gwen & Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp), Harrison & Nerris (Camp Camp), Harrison/Nerris (Camp Camp), Max & Nikki (Camp Camp), Max & Science Camp Neil (Camp Camp), Max/Nikki (Camp Camp)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 103





	Summer Crushes

“You think Nerris and Harrison would be a good couple?!”

Neil questioned his female counselor, his malibu eyes looking at her in confusion because of her implication. It was somewhat of a free day at Camp Campbell, so everybody was just doing whatever they wanted. Some of the campers were playing outside, while others stayed in their tents or just sat in the Mess Hall.

Neil doesn’t even remember how this conversation started. Neil was just walking past the table Gwen was sitting at, and noticed the glowing screen coming from the counselor’s phone and immediately knew she was watching the finale of one of her many trashy romance shows. But what he didn’t know was that he would end up having a conversation with Gwen about possible romances between all the camps.

“You wouldn’t? They’re perfect for each other!” Gwen explained as if what she said was nothing but the truth...which it was.

“Don’t they hate each other? They can’t get through ONE day without arguing about who’s magic is better!” Neil, of course, had supporting evidence to back up his claim on the possible romance with the two magic kids.

“Oh Neil...you are so clueless to the world of romance.” Gwen remarked smugly yet with a chuckle as she patted his head as a form of pity to his obliviousness. “What they have is called a ‘Hate-Love’ relationship. They act like they can’t stand each other when in reality all they want to do is stand next to each other!”

“But won’t their relationship just consist of arguing?”

“Not when they confess their feelings. Once that happens it will probably turn into lots of teasing and flirty banter. Come on Neil, have you SEEN them at the Lake Lilac social?”

Neil felt his cheeks turning pink at the mention of the social gathering. Although things between him and Erin didn’t exactly end well, he couldn’t help but still harbor feelings for the blue-haired intellectual. He still possessed a secret soft spot for her, admiring her intelligence and believing that she was just being influenced by the rest of the Flower Scouts.

Gwen immediately noticed the blush and saw her opportunity to take a shot at the nerd.

“Oh wait...you were too focused on somebody else right~”

“GWEN!” Neil groaned in embarrassment as his hands flew to his face in an attempt to avoid looking at Gwen or allowing Gwen to see his flustered state. “...and don’t think I forgot that it was partially your fault things with her didn’t go well.”

“Yeah I’m sorry...I went overboard with my matchmaking there..” Gwen felt a twinge of guilt nudge at her heart when Neil brought up the messy memory of that love square. “But anyways, Nerris and Harrison were avoiding each other the entire dance but clearly wanted to dance together.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about?”

The distinguishable voice of annoyance cut through the conversation with ease, and both parties immediately knew it was none other than Max who joined them at their table.

“Don’t tell me that you’re planning another fucking social Gwen, the last one was absolute shit.” Max sat down at the table with his cup of black coffee in his left hand.

“No I am not Max! Neil and I were simply having an educated conversation on romance.” Gwen explained as Max’s look went from annoyance to confusion.

“Wait...are you serious?” Max smirked at the both of them, clearly holding back a laugh. “Gwen I expect this crap from you, but YOU Neil?! I never took you for a hopeless romantic.” 

Neil felt his face turn even darker than it already was.

“Well I am man of science...and there is definitely science behind love. I believe it was called erotology?” 

“Neil that was the worst fucking excuse I’ve ever heard.” Max was now laughing, taking a sip of his coffee before resuming his belittling. ”You couldn’t just be a science nerd and a roleplay nerd? You also had to be a hopeless romantic?”

“Erin left that effect on him Max~”

“OH FUCK THE BOTH OF YOU!” Neil was squeaking at this point, slamming his head down on the table since covering his face with his hands wasn’t enough anymore.

“Anyways, what were you guys talking about if it was about the shitty summer social?” Max questioned the counselor as he was holding back laughs, but the counselor wasn’t doing any better.

“Neil and I were having an argument on whether Nerris and Harrison like each other or not.” Gwen’s laughter died down, but she still kept a smile on her face because of how invested she was with the topic of shipping. “They kept avoiding each other the entire dance but snuck glances at each other too.”

“No shit they like each other, they already make it so fucking obvious.” Max rolled his eyes in annoyance. Watching the two of them bicker like an old married couple made him want to shoot someone, specifically Harrison or David. Harrison because he still held a silent grudge against him for the magic fiasco, and David because he was David.

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Gwen smirked as Neil slowly lifted his head from the table, his face returning to his normal color.

“Alright, I’ll bite. I’ve got nothing better to do anyways. Who else do you think would be a good couple at this camp?” 

Max immediately regretted what he said because he did NOT like the look on Gwen’s face once he asked that question. If the smirk on her face was already big because of Nerris and Harrison, she turned into the fucking Cheshire Cat now. He was disturbed as to why she was smirking like that at him, until he eventually caught on. But before he could shut her down, she spoke up.

“Why that’s a good question dear Maxwell,” Gwen’s voice was dripping with poison now. The tone of her voice changed to one of mock innocence and over the top sweetness that would put every superficial bitch to shame. She was making sure Max knew EXACTLY that she was talking about him and a certain someone, and based on his typical annoyed expression now being clouded with a hint of fear, she knew that he was receiving the message loud and clear. “There IS another couple at camp who I think would be ABSOLUTELY perfect together...and it involves our lovable little adventure girl.”

It was Max’s turn to become flustered now. Max never blushed, or at least tried not to, but now he couldn’t control the apple color spreading through his face like wildfire. How the hell did Gwen notice already? He didn’t even fully realize (nor accepted) that he might possibly maybe have some form of feelings for his bubbly best friend. Neil looked at him and took every ounce of self control he had to stifle back laughter.

“Do tell you little shit,” Gwen became the fucking devil at this point, and had no regrets with it whatsoever. “Do you know who I’m talking about? Who Nikki’s perfect match would be?”

If it was possible, Max would have been steaming by now. His entire body felt warm and the hoodie he was wearing didn’t help that. He looked down into his cup of coffee as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, avoiding eye contact with the two parties.

“I don’t fucking know, why are you asking me?” Max’s voice still held its tone of annoyance, but now something new existed in said tone. He sounded hushed, and dare Neil even think this about the cynical asshole, but he also sounded embarrassed. Both Gwen and Neil could see from Max’s body language how tense Max felt about the implication.

Gwen suddenly broke out into laughter, and Max was practically shrinking into his hoodie.

“Oh you’ve got it BAD.” 

“Got WHAT bad?!” Max snapped defensively, his eyes now sharply directed at the adult sitting next to Neil. “I don’t have ANYTHING bad.”

“Someone’s a little touchy there.” Gwen was thriving right now, and Neil decided to ask the question that could get him killed or his science equipment wrecked.

“Wait Max, you actually like Nikki?”

Max’s face couldn’t turn any more crimson than it already was, but Max felt himself growing warmer by the second. His entire stature grew stiff while his throat started to close up, feeling like he was going to choke on his own words.

“N-NO I DON’T,” Fuck, Max stuttered. He never stuttered, and everybody at that table knew that very well. His heartbeat was increasing and his lungs felt like they were going to collapse. He attempted to clear his throat before continuing to speak  
“I DON’T LIKE ANYBODY. LOVE IS FUCKING STUPID.”

“And you said I had the worst excuse ever...that was definitely worse than mine.” Neil chuckled and Max was ready to kill somebody at that table, whether it was Neil, Gwen or himself was up to you to interpret. But just as Gwen was about to add fuel to the fire, as if on cue, the subject of the conversation entered the mess hall.

“Nerris, Dolph! Where are you guys?!”

The Agent of Chaos ran into the mess hall, looking behind the counter in an attempt to find her friends before stopping at their table. If Max wasn’t about to heel over, he was definitely going to now. 

Instead of donning her usual pigtails, Nikki’s hair was completely down. Her messy sea foam hair was no longer tied into two separate waves, but instead flowed freely and rested on her back. It still looked messy, but the simple change in appearance was enough to send Max deeper into the hole of realization he’s been desperately avoiding.

‘Holy fucking shit she looks cute-nOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.’ Max was mentally scolding himself for contributing to his own downfall, and no matter how hard he tried to look away, he couldn’t. 

“Hey guys! Have any of you seen Nerris or Dolph?!” Nikki questioned the trio in curiosity. 

Gwen glanced to her left to notice that the smug expression that Max usually had completely disintegrated and turned into one of awe and some form of anger, probably because he realized that maybe he really does have it bad. Neil noticed where Gwen’s attention was and glanced at Max, which resulted in him covering his growing smile and choking back giggles.

“...guys?” Nikki asked confused, slowly starting to become self conscious of her hair’s new appearance.

“No..but what’s up with the-“ Neil started and ended his sentence by pointing to the hair on his head with both hands. “No pigtails today?”

“That’s why I’m looking for them!” Nikki groaned a little bit as she struggled to run her fingers through her hair. “They stole my hair ties from me! I only took them off to fix my hair and next thing I know they’re running off and the ties aren’t on the ground anymore!” 

“I’m sorry Nikki, we haven’t seen them run through here at all.” Gwen explained, earning a whine from Nikki as a result. “But I think your hair looks nice when it’s down.”

“I look ridiculous Gwen! And how am I supposed to hunt for Bigfoot or go for my daily tree climb with my hair getting in my face all the time! It’s gonna get tangled in the branches and I’m gonna fall and break my arm! Although that would actually be pretty cool cause I’d have a cast and that could make a cool weapon to hit people with...” 

Neil nudged Max while Nikki went on her mini ramble. Max looked up at Neil and was met with Neil gesturing his head towards Nikki, sending an unspoken message to the hooded boy; and that message was encouraging Max to send a compliment to Nikki about her hair. Yet again, before Max could shut it down, Neil spoke up.

“Your hair down doesn’t look bad Nikki, it’s something different.” Neil reassured her before shrugging a bit. “Nothing wrong with change.”

“I still think I look ridiculous...” Nikki muttered, now gripping her hair in her hands as a sign of slight embarrassment.

“Max, what do you think about Nikki’s new appearance?” Neil managed to casually pass the prompt to Max, and his cheeks started burning up again. He hesitated to speak, feeling Gwen’s Cheshire Cat smile and eyes burning into his skin.

“It’s really that bad huh...” Nikki was now gripping her hair even tighter, and that subtle action of self consciousness was enough to force Max to speak up.

“I-It doesn’t look bad at all Nik...” Max used the nickname he reserved for her partially to express genuine honesty behind what he was going to say, and partially because he liked how he was the only person who called her that. He averted his gaze to the floor and took a deep breath before speaking the next sentence,

“You actually look pretty cool...”

Gwen was taking everything in her power to not squeal, and swiftly yet subtly covered her mouth with her fists to hide the grin that was now taking up half of her face. Neil’s jaw dropped in astonishment because holy fucking shit Max actually gave a compliment. A GENUINE compliment. No follow up insults, no sarcasm, this was the type of shit you’d hear from Max if he was held at gunpoint.

Nikki was taken back at first, her cheeks glowing a subtle tint of pink as her hands no longer gripped her hair and now rested at the sides of her waist. However, she eventually beamed the brightest smile you could see on the girl. She knew that if she was able to receive a compliment from Max, then it was genuine and there were no drawbacks to it. A wave of relief washed over her, and Max swore he was going to be blinded by the light radiating from the girl.

“Alright, I guess my hair being down isn’t that bad. Thank you guys.” Although the sentence was directed at the entire trio, she seemed to be sending the gratitude directly at the boy with the jade eyes as she looked at him with her doe eyes. Her eyes reminded him of cotton candy and he could see the joy from the reassurance pooling in her pupils, and he felt himself getting lost. “Although this doesn’t exactly solve my problem with it getting caught in the trees...and I still want those hair ties back for tomorrow.”

Nikki thought for a while before her eyes lit up again and she pointed to the two boys.

“Both of you, come with me! It will be easier to look for Nerris and Dolph with two assistants! And after that, if I go into the tress and my hair DOES get stuck, you guys can help me out!”

Neil saw an opportunity to match make and took it.

‘Wow, I guess having one conversation with Gwen is already leaving an influence on me.’ Neil thought to himself before giving his response to Nikki.

“Sorry Nikki, but I think I’ll pass for today’s adventure. I have an invention that I need to work on...” Neil then placed his hand firmly on Max’s shoulder but kept his eyes locked with the girl with a mischievous smile. “But I’m sure Max can join you for this.”

“Whatdaya say Max? Are you in?!” Nikki’s gaze went from Neil to Max, and she was still wearing the same smile from seconds earlier and it never seemed to falter. 

“I guess...I have nothing better to do.” Max added the second half of his response to throw off any suspicions Nikki may have regarding Max’s feelings, but of course, Nikki being Nikki, she was dense and didn’t catch a thing.

“Awesome! Now let’s go! I bet they’re by the lake!” Nikki grabbed Max by his arm and bolted for the exit, with Max being dragged wearing the most embarrassed expression on his face. Before he left however, he looked at Gwen and Neil one more time, and was met with two pairs of thumbs up. He quickly flipped them off with his free hand before Nikki and Max were no longer in the mess hall.

“That was the cutest thing I’ve seen at this camp!!” Gwen finally released her excitement, squealing as she was kicking her legs from the romance sitcom moment that happened right in front of her. “THIS is the summer crush thing I’ve been wanting someone to find during that social!”

“Guess I’ll be a third wheel...but I’m okay with that.” Neil agreed with Gwen, giving her a peaceful nod. 

“Well are there any other possible camp couples you want to discuss before I return to watching over the rest of you children?” Gwen casually asked, and Neil simply looked at her with a confident smirk.

“You and David, obviously.” Neil could HEAR Gwen’s heart drop in her chest, and saw her pupils shrink into dots. “Every other camper is thinking about it-“

But before Neil could finish his sentence, Gwen bolted for the door, shielding the pink growing on her face from the science kid who was now left alone in the mess hall. He laughed one more time before standing up from his table.

“Busted.”

**Author's Note:**

> Aaa I hope you all enjoyed reading this! I‘m definitely gonna be writing more often now that I have more time c:💗
> 
> Also if you didn’t come from my Instagram, I drew a short comic for this oneshot on artzystarlight !! I would have inserted the drawing here but idk how ;3;


End file.
